Working Memory: Fatigue and the Hidden Demands of School
You’ve explained the task, the pupil has nodded — so why are they still sitting there staring at a blank page?
They ask you to repeat the instruction or watch a classmate to work out where to start. You may already have put steps on the board or a checklist on the table. But does the pupil know why it is there, when to turn to it and how to use it?
When there is too much to hold in mind
Working memory capacity is finite: we can only hold so much information in mind while using it. A pupil may be trying to remember an instruction while finding their book, organising an idea and thinking about spelling. For some pupils, this can feel like working at a desk already covered in papers.
That capacity varies between people and develops with age, so the age gap within a class can matter. Attention matters too: a pupil may lose track of an instruction if they are interrupted before using it.
Stress, bereavement and worries from home can make concentration and remembering harder. So can tiredness after disrupted sleep, perhaps because a pupil has no bed of their own or shares a room with a sibling. Think back to the COVID-19 pandemic: were everyday tasks sometimes harder to keep track of during that time of stress?
In class, we may notice repeated questions, missed steps, slow copying or unfinished work. These difficulties can accumulate as the day goes on: a pupil who managed a task in the morning may struggle with something similar after lunch. The build-up can be easy to miss: by the time we notice the unfinished work, tiredness or overload may look like a lack of effort.
The resource is there. The shared understanding may not be.
Even when useful resources are available, it can be difficult to understand why a pupil is not using them. We may offer a checklist because we have noticed them losing track, without explaining that connection or being quite clear ourselves about which part of the task it will help with. From the pupil’s perspective, it may feel like we are giving them another instruction rather than an offer of help. Talking through what we have noticed, why we think a particular tool might help and how they could use it gives both teacher and pupil a clearer sense of what they are working on together. It also gives the pupil room to explain what is difficult and whether the support makes a difference.
A proforma for that conversation
Our working memory support plan separates three parts of the partnership: “What I do to help”, “Why it works” and “What you can do”. The first column makes the teacher’s support specific, the second explains how the tool reduces what the pupil has to hold in mind, and the third describes what the pupil can do with it. Teacher and pupil can try it together and discuss what works.
These examples show how the three columns might be filled in together.
A shared plan, ready when it is needed
The completed plan could go on the wall for the whole class or stay beside a pupil’s book as a reminder of what you have agreed: the help you will offer, why it might be useful and how they can use it. As you try it out, there is room to talk about what helps and change anything that makes the task more complicated. If the next lesson goes well, it is worth noticing which supports the pupil used. They may still need them.
That is the practical link between working memory, cognitive load and cumulative demand. There is less to hold in mind, and a shared understanding of where to turn when the task feels too much.
Our Working Memory Support Plan offers a starting point for that conversation, whether with a whole class or an individual pupil. If you would like to commission support for your school, we can work with you to review classroom demands, develop working memory provision or plan a targeted executive function programme.
To discuss what would suit your school and request a quote, email contact@edpsychschool.com or call 01442503404.
© Educational Psychology Services for Schools, 2026. Written by Dr. Kathryn Gibb. You are welcome to use and share this blog and its accompanying resources within your school or setting, provided the source is acknowledged. Please do not sell, publish, adapt or reproduce the materials elsewhere without permission.
Disclaimer: These ideas are general guidance and do not replace professional judgement, individual educational psychology advice, school policy, safeguarding procedures or specialist advice. Where behaviour, wellbeing or safety causes concern, follow usual school procedures and seek appropriate support.
References
Ahmed, S. F., et al. (2022). Working memory development from early childhood to adolescence using two nationally representative samples. Developmental Psychology, 58(10), 1962–1973. doi: 10.1037/dev0001396.
Gathercole, S. E., & Alloway, T. P. (n.d.). Working memory and classroom learning. University of Durham.
Shields, G. S., Sazma, M. A., & Yonelinas, A. P. (2016). The effects of acute stress on core executive functions: A meta-analysis and comparison with cortisol. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 68, 651–668. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.038.
Girotti, M., Bulin, S. E., & Carreno, F. R. (2024). Effects of chronic stress on cognitive function – From neurobiology to intervention. Neurobiology of Stress, 33, 100670. doi: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100670.
Cruse Bereavement Support. (n.d.). Relaxation and grief. Accessed 3 November 2026.
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